Educational toy



Dec. 6, 1949 A. J. ESSINGTON 2,490,342

EDUCATIONAL TOY Filed Aug. 17, 1946 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 llllllllllllllllllllll- MID- 7M %E Dec. 6, 1949 A. J. ESSINGTON EDUCATIONAL TOY2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Aug. 17, 1946 Alba-2 2 Patented Dec. 6, 1949UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE EDUCATIONAL TOY Albert J. Essington, PennsGrove, N. J.

Application August 17, 1946, Serial No. 691,257

4 Claims.

This invention relates to new and useful improvements and structuralrefinements in toys, and the principal object of the invention is toprovide a device of the character herein described, which may beeffectively employed for education and amusement of young children.

A further object ,of the invention is to provide a toy which is of astructural, mechanical nature, and the use of which involves therecitation of a nursery rhyme.

Another object of the invention is to provide a toy which is simple inconstruction and in use, novel and highly pleasing in appearance, andwhich will not easily become damaged.

An additional object of the invention is to provide a toy which willreadily lend itself to economical manufacture.

With the above more important objects in view, and such other objects asmay become apparent as this specification proceeds, the inventionconsists essentially of the arrangement and construction of parts asillustrated in the accompanying drawings in which:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of the invention,

Figure 5 is a cross-sectional view, taken substantially in the plane ofthe line 5-5 in Figure 4.

Figure 6 is a cross-sectional view, taken substantially in the plane ofthe line 6--6 in Fi ure 4, and

Figure 7 is a perspective view of a hen character used in the invention.

Like characters of reference are used to designate like parts in thespecification and throughout the several views.

Referring now to the accompanying drawings in detail, the inventionconsists of a toy designated generally by the reference character It,the same embodying in its construction a housing ll simulating theappearance of a shoe. The housin consists of a sole plate [2, a pair ofside plates or uppers 13, a heel or back plate l4, and a toe cap M, thesame being secured together in any suitable manner, as will be clearlyapparent.

It will be noted that the housing H provides what may be referred to asa chamber I5, this being closed at the top thereof by a plate It, and afiller plate I1 is positioned. in the bottom of the chamber, as is bestshown in Figure 5.

A door l8 is swingably connected as at Hi to the uppers l3 and forms thetongue of the shoe. If the toy is constructed of wood, or the like, theswingable connections 49 of the doormay simply assume the form of a pairof nails, screws, etc. It will be observed that the uppers [3 areprovided adjacent the door I8 with rows of apertures 20, and a shoe lace2| is threaded through these apertures and bow tied as at 22.

It will be also noted that the shoe lace, in its tied position, willconstitute releasable means for preventing the opening of the door I8.

Positioned in the chamber l5 adjacent the back plate i l is a gate 23,this being swingable on and suspended from a .pair of nails 24 providedin the uppers It. The afore-mentioned filler plate I! is formed with apair of bores 25, these being adapted to removably receive the lower endportions of a pair of upright pins 26.

The pins 2 6 are disposed between the gate 23 and the door l8, andfunction as removable means for preventing the opening of the gate.Finally, a character or figure 21, simulating the appearance of a hen,is positioned in the chamber l5, behind the gate 2 3.

The shoe toe cap [4 is inscribed with the numerals 1-2 and the outersurface of the door carries the numerals 3-4. The inner surface of thedoor I8 is inscribed with the numerals 56, as is best shown in Figures 2and 3, While the adjacent surface of the gate 23 carries the numerals7-8. The hen 21 is inscribed, on the relatively opposite sides thereof,with the numerals 9 and 10.

The use of the invention can best be explained by quoting a nurseryrhyme inscribed as at '28 on the upper surface Of the plate I6, saidrhyme reading as follows:

One, two,

Unlace the shoe. Three, four, Open the door. Five, six, Pick up sticks.Seven, eight, Swing the gate. Nine, ten, A little red hen! It will beclearly apparent that in accordance with the above, the child isrequired to untie and unlace the shoe lace 2| and to open the door l8 asindicated by the phantom lines 29. He will then remove the sticks orpins 26, thus facilitating .the opening of the gate 23, to the positionindicated by the phantom lines 30. The child may then remove the hen 21from the shoe housing and the advantages of the invention, as well asits educational and amusing value, may be readily appreciated. Theassociation of the strategically placed numerals with the progressivesteps of removing"th'e obstacles and opening the .doors or gates, willundoubtedly provide the child with a highly instructive and entertainingsource of amusement.

It is believed that the advantages and use of 4 the invention will beclearly understood from-*the foregoing disclosure and accordingly,further description thereof at this point is considered unnecessary.

While in the foregoing there has been show and described-thepreferred-embodiment of this invention it is to" be understood thatminor changes in thedetails of-construction, combination anda-rrangementof parts may be resortedto without departing-iromy-thespirit and scope of the'invention as claimed.

What I claim as my-invention is:

1. An educational toy comprising a housing having a chamber formedwithanopening, a door in said opening, a gate in said chamber behind saiddoor, a figure in said chamber behind said gate-removable means on saidhousing for preventing opening of said door, and removable means in saidchainbenforprev enting openin of said gate.

2. The'device as defineaim' claim 1, wherein said housing includes a'pair'of spaced, rigid side walls having edge portions formed with rowsof apertures, said door being disposed between the apertured edgeportions of said walls and being swingable outwardly therefrom, saidmeans for reventing opening of said door comprising a lace threadablethrough said apertures transversely of said door.

3. The device as defined in claim 1, wherein said gate is swingabletoward said door, said m'eansfor preventing opening of'said 'gateincluding an upstanding pinremovably positioned in said chamber betweensaid gate and said door.

4. An educational toy simulating the appearanceof a shoe and comprisinga housing including a pair of spaced, rigid side walls forming a chambertherebetween, said chamber having an opening and edge portions of saidwalls adjacent said"open'in'g b'eiiigformed with rows of apertures, anoutwardly swingable door provided in said opening, a gate provided insaid chamber and 'swinga-ble: toward said -door, a removable figure in-said chamber" behind, said gate, said chamber having a'bottom formedwith a bore forwardly of said gate, a lace-threadable through saidapertures transversely of said door to prevent opening of the latter,and an upright pin receivable in said bore to prevent opening of saidgate.

ALBERT J. ESSINGTON.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthispatent:

UNITED STATES'PATENTS 35 Number I Name Date 351,694 Du Shane Oct. 26,1886 2,180,653 Yancey NOV. 21, 1939

